Ok I didn’t do this #RPGaDAY2019 yesterday whose prompt was Space. Playing MtG and not having anything really to contribute are my excuse for not posting anything. Although when I looked at the hash tag on twitter folks were interrupting it as the gaming space. Although that’s probably the angle I’d take as well. I thought I might have seen more talk about space themed RPG’s. When I didn’t see any, which doesn’t mean there wasn’t. Just that this old man didn’t see them.

Today’s prompt is …

Which is an interesting one. And I’m looking forward to seeing what people’s contributions to this one are.

Here is my contribution…

For me D&D and any fantasy based RPG is a mish mash of many influences. A few of them can be described as ancient.

Let’s start with the easiest and probably the most influential Tolkien. Who as we all know was a renowned scholar in old English. And throughout his work the influence of his subject specialism can be found. Tolkien even wrote an English translation of Beowulf. But as you read Tolkien’s work, there feels a depth and history within the pages. However although that’s the side I’ve discussed so far. Probably the biggest and easiest to identify influences are the races and classes, make up of a party (the fellowship of the ring) and the medieval feel.

The world that the likes of D&D and others are set in are often described as medieval European fantasy. And although it may not have the feudal society. I would argue (over a pint at the pub) that as a point of reference to describe the look, level of sophistication etc of the setting it’s a fair starting point. Especially to those that have not played the game before.

However the influences don’t stop there.

We only have to look at some of the monsters that adventurers can come across to see them. For instance Greek mythology with hydras, medusa, and minotaurs to name ones that spring to mind as I write this post.

D&D goes even further back than what would be considered ancient on the Monster front with dinosaurs. Yeah you can have a T-Rex stomping and running amok in your campaign.

Within my homebrew campaign set within the D&D realm of Faerûn it has been heavily influenced by the Ancient Greek stories of Pytheas and Jason and the Argonauts. Some of the islands my adventurers will come across will be inhabited by people that have a heavy Norse influence.

Definitely within my campaign the boats used to travel between islands and explore the seas are more Norse influenced with the use of long boats. Architecture (depending on the communities main influence) for the campaign on the islands will be either medieval European or Norse.

One thing I have found is that as a new DM, as I get further into the campaign and preparing the upcoming session the more I’m learning about these influences. Like Tolkien I want names whether they are of a person or place to feel authentic. Luckily Gygax wrote a book on names, and Xanathar’s Guide to Everything have lists of names that can be used based on ethnicity and race. A bit of google magic helps me find pages to make place names that sound Nordic. So I’m learning history whether real or mythic as I go along, whether it be Medieval English history and legends (which I will include the Norse stuff here) or it’s Greek mythology.

It’s the mix of these ancient influences that help make D&D and any fantasy setting a rich and rewarding world to explore. They definitely provide a gold mine of ideas for campaigns and adventures.

What influences have you noticed within D&D?